Syria, Turkey open new border gate as PM begins visit

Turkish Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım and his Syrian counterpart, Yarob Badr, attended a ceremony for the opening of the Çobanköy border gate in Kilis province.

“Turkey has 2,009 kilometers of borders with its neighbors. The longest of those borders is the one with Syria, 870 kilometers. In line with the length of the border, we needed to a have proportionate number of border gates being opened between Syria and Turkey. Both the people and governments of Syria and Turkey have a deep and rich relationship which is based on a heritage of common culture and civilization. That’s why we’re opening a third railway border gate in Çobanköy, Kilis,” Yıldırım was quoted as saying at the ceremony before departing for Aleppo on a train along with his Syrian counterpart, Badr.

In mid-October Turkey and its southern neighbor Syria removed visa requirements and “symbolically” abolished the border between them. The move came following a September visit to İstanbul by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The two countries signed a bilateral cooperation agreement in September under which top ministers from the two countries will meet each year. The accord, titled the “High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council Agreement,” is similar to a strategic mechanism recently established between Turkey and Iraq.  It was during the first ministerial level meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council between Syria and Turkey in mid-October, the first part of the meeting being held in Aleppo and the second in Gaziantep, that the two countries symbolically abolished the border between them.

Erdoğan, who was scheduled to depart from Ankara late on Tuesday for a two-day official visit, will lead the Turkish side during the first prime ministerial level meeting of the council, while the Syrian side will be led by Prime Minister Naji Otri.

During the visit, the two neighbors are expected to sign more than 40 bilateral agreements on education, health, transportation and politics.

Turkey’s possible role in a renewed peace process between Israel and Syria is likely to be on agenda of Erdoğan’s talks with Syrian officials.